In response to a Turkish drone attack on a rehabilitation centre for war-wounded individuals in Qamishli (Qamişlo), widespread protests have erupted across various cities in Kurdish-led North and East Syria, condemning the Turkish aggression.
A Turkish drone targeted a rehabilitation centre for Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) wounded fighters in Qamishli on Sunday, causing severe injuries and killing two commanders of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ). The centre, operational since 2020, assists those injured in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS). The centre and the YPJ have condemned the attack, criticising the international community’s silence and accusing Turkey of seeking revenge for ISIS’s defeat by Kurdish forces.
In Qamishli, people congregated outside the targeted rehabilitation centre. Mehsûm Hesen, Co-chair of the Council of the Families of the Martyrs, and Hêvî Seyîd from the Executive Board of the Women’s Council of the Martyrs’ Families in Cizîrê (Jazira) Canton delivered statements in Kurdish and Arabic.
They said that the Turkish state is threatened by the achievements of the Rojava Revolution and was thus attempting to disrupt regional peace.
“The Turkish occupying state is targeting our infrastructure. Today, they have targeted our war-wounded who defended the people against ISIS terror,” they stated, criticising the international community’s silence and urging relevant institutions to pressure Turkey to halt its attacks and war crimes.
The representatives also emphasised the ongoing struggle “to defend the achievements of the martyrs and to fight for the freedom of Rêber Apo.”
In Çilaxa, the local Council of the Families of the Martyrs organised a protest rally, in which speakers highlighted the criminal nature of the attacks and demanded an end to Turkish assaults on North and East Syria.
In Aleppo’s self-administered Şêxmeqsûd district, the Council of the Families of the Martyrs and the Federation of the War-Wounded held a rally at the Martyrs’ Square, calling on the international coalition, the UN, and international legal institutions to pressure Turkey to cease its criminal attacks.
In Dêrik, relatives of the fallen gathered shortly after the attack to protest. They held the international anti-ISIS coalition partially responsible due to its silence. A protest rally also took place in the Newroz refugee camp by the local Council of the Families of the Martyrs.
In 2020, the Federation of the War-Wounded in North and East Syria had opened the centre in Qamishli to ensure the medical and other needs of war-wounded individuals. The centre focuses on integrating the war-wounded into the institutions in North and East Syria, with 22,000 people in the region having sustained permanent injuries in the fight against ISIS and in resistance to Turkish occupation attacks.
